Internal-combustion engine.



D. H, FRANCIS.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGlNE. APPLICATION F |LED DEC. 7. I916.

Patented Dec. '18, 1917."

Atto rn eys pair INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it knownthat I, DANIEL H. FRANCIS,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Junction, in thecounty of Mesa and State of Colorado, have invented a new and usefulInternal-Combustion Engine, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to internal combustion engines, andaims to provide novel and improved means for con trolling the intake andthe exhaust, this invention being animprovement over the internalcombustion enginexlisclosed' in my cogending application Serial No.68,771 file ecember 27, 1915.

One object of the invention is the provision of novel means for reducingthe counter pressure against the controlling valve.

Another object of the invention is the pro-- vision of novel means forlubricating the valve and accompanying parts.

lVith the foregoing and other objects 111 view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, theinventlon resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made with in thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, whercinz-Figure 1 proved construction, portions being shown in plan.

Fig. 2/is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4, the valvebeing removed. v

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the valve.

Fig. 4c is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

.Fig. 5 isa sectional detail illustrating a modification.

A single cylinder 1 is illustrated in the drawing, but it is apparentthat the invention can be used with multi-cylinder engines, as disclosedin my co-pendlngapphcation. A valve housing or casing 2 is secured to.the end of the cylinder. 1 to provide a head Y therefor, and saidhousing is provided with a tapered or conical bore 3, the larger end ofwhich is. open, and a cap a is secured in any suitable manner to thehousing 2 across the larger end of. the bore 3. A tapered or.

conical valve 5 fitted Within the bore3 Specification of Letters Patent.

is a horizontal section of the 'im- Patented Tree. 1%, 191?.

Application filerl December 7, 1916. Serial No. 135,650.

and seats thereagainst to provide a tight fit, and the housing 2 hasports 6 and 7 com municating with the interior of the cylinder, andopposite ports 8 and 9, while the valve 5 has a diametrical passage 10adapted to communicate simultaneously with passages,

6 and 9 and with passages 7 and 8. The valve 5 is rotated in anysuitable manner by connecting it with the crank shaft or other rotatingpart of the engine, so that the passage 10 registers with the ports ofthe housing at the proper times during the intake and exhaust strokes ofthe piston. The valve 5 has a stem 14 projecting from its smaller endout of the housing 2 for rotating the valve.

As a means for reducing the counter pressure against the larger end ofthe valve due to the combustion of the gaseous mixture Within theauxiliary explosion chamber between the larger end of the valve 5 andthe cap 4, the larger endof thevalve 5 is provided with a' centrallylocated boss 11 of sufficient diameter. to leave the desired area of thelarger end of the valve 5 around and is slidable and rotatable snuglywithin a cavity or recess 13 with which the cap 4 is provided, wherebythe pressure cannot be imposed upon the face of the boss 11', thusreducing the pressure on the larger end of the valve proportional to'thearea of the boss 11. The housing 2 has a port or passage '1 1establishing communication between the interior of the cylinder and theauxiliary explosion chamber between the valve 5 and cap 1, so that whenthe carbureted air is supplied into the cylinder, at small portionthereof will flow through the passage 14: into the auxiliary explosionchamber, in order that when the explosion occurs, the combustion willprovide the desired pressure against the larger end of the valve 5 toforce the valve against its seat during the explosion, therebypresenting a counter pressure to resist pressure which 1 ice ire

port 17 extends to the periphery or other suitable point of the member15, and the member/.15 has a central upstanding-nipple communicatingwith the port 16 and rotatablyengaging the exhaust pipe or manifold 20which can be stationary. A carbureter or other fuel supplying means 21is connected to the -member to communicate with the inlet port 17,and'the member 15 has a handle 22 for oscillating it through asemi-circle to reverse the member 15. As illustrated, the port 17communicates with the port 8 and the port 16 communicates with the port9, so that when the passage 10 registers With the ports 7 and 8, duringthe intake stroke of the piston, the carbureted air is drawn into thecylinder, and when the passage 10 registers with the ports 6 and 9,during the exhaust stroke of the piston, the exhaust gases are forcedout through the port 6, passage 10, ports 9 and 16 and exhaust pipe ormanifold 20. By reversing the member 15, the carbureted air will flowinto the cylinder from the port 6 and the' exhaust gases will force outthrough the port 7, thus reversing the operation of the engine.

The valve is lubricated, and for this purpose, the housing 2 has alongitudinal groove 23 extending along one Wall of the bore 3, and hasan inlet aperture 24 in said wall beyond one end of the groove 23. Alubricant supply tube or pip 25 isconnected to the housing 2 tocommunicate with the aperture 24, and the housing 2 and cap 4 areprovided with a passage or duct 26 extendmg from said wall of thehousing beyond the other end of the groove 23 into the cap "and havingbranches 27 and 28. The branch 27 opens. into the auxiliary combustionchamber from the cap, and the branch 28 leads to the Wall of the recess13 and cylindrical surface of the boss 11 to lubricate the packing ringsand accompanying parts. The valv 5 has longitudinal grooves 29 and 30adjacent-to its smaller and larger ends, and when the valve is inposition for the flow of carbure'ted air into the cylinder during theintake stroke of the piston, the

tends into the housing 2. Thus, the lubricant will flow from the tube 25through the aperture 24, groove 29, groove 23, groove 30 and duct 26,thereby supplying lubricant to the contacting surfaces of the housingand valve.- The valve 5 cuts off the connection between the groove 23and aperture 24 and duct 26 when the valve is moved away from intakeposition, so that 'the'fiow of lubricant is intermittent, the grooves23, 29

and 30 holding lubricant which is supplied tothe Walls of the housingand valve.

Fig. 5 shows a duct 24 communicating with the lubricant chamber in 'thesmaller end of the bore 3 into which lubricant flows from the tube 25,and the,duct 24 is interhousing having an auxiliary combustion a chambertherein between the larger end of the valve and cap, and the larger endof the valve and cap having an interfitting recess and boss reducing thearea of said combustion chamber, said combustion chamber surrounding theboss. 7

2. In an internal combustion engine, a housing having a conical borewith its larger end open, a cap attached to the hous ng across thelargerend of said bore and having a recess, and a conical valve seatedwithin said bore for controlling the flow of gas and having a centralboss at its larger'end fitting snugly in, said recess to reduce thepressure against the larger end of the valve, there being an auxiliarycombustion chamber-between the larger end of the valve and cap adaptedto communicate with a cylinder.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a housing, a valve working thereinfor controlling the intake and exhaust, said housing having-a chamber tocommunicate with an' engine cylinder, and means for supplyin lubricantto the housmg, the housin an v'alve having coo'perable lubricantconductlng means communicating with said chain-,7

her and adapted to register when the valve is in intake position to suckthe lubricant from said means.

4. In 'an internal combustion engine, a housing having a conical boreanda-combustion chamber at its larger end','- aconical valve seated insaid bore and rotatable to controlthc intake and exhaust, the housinghaving a duct communicating with said chamber, and means for conductinglubri-' cant to the housing, the housing and valve having lubricantconducting grooves adapt ed to register when the valve is in intakeposition for establishing communication between said means and duct.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a

- housing having a conical bore and a combustion chamber at the largerend of the bore, a conical valve rotatable and seated in said bore forcontrolling the intake and exhaust, the housing having a ductcommunicating with said chamber, a lubricant inlet, and a lubricantgroove between said duct and inlet, and the valve having grooves toestablish communication between said groove and the lubricant inlet andduct when the valve isin intake position. a 6. In an internal combustionengine, a housing having a conical bore, a cap secured to the housingacross the larger end of said bore and having a recess, a conical valverotatable and seated within the bore for con trolling the intake andenhau'st and having a boss at its larger end working snugly in saidrecess, the housing having a lubricant groove, a lubricant inlet beyondone end of the said groove and a lubricant duct beyond the other end ofsaid groove and extending communication between the aforesaid groove andinlet and duct when the valve IS in inlet position.

In testimony that I claim the. foregoing as my own, I have heretoafiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

DANIEL H. FRANCIS.

Witnesses:

HUGH R. FRAncIs, HARRY ST. CLAIR.

